“PTC’s new
manikin software is notable for its tight integration with Pro/ENGINEER.
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin brings digital human visualization and simulation
to the engineer’s desktop within the CAD user
interface and without the need for the engineer to be a human factors
expert,” said John MacKrell, senior analyst,
CIMdata. “This is a very impressive
first step for PTC for supporting a human-centric design approach.
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin will enable customers to better optimize their
products for the people who will use, manufacture and maintain them.”

Leverage advanced reporting capabilities of analysis results earlier
in the development process to deliver products designed and optimized
for humans in less time

Additionally, beginning in December 2008, basic manikin capabilities
that enable users to insert a pre-defined manikin into a CAD model and
easily manipulate the posture to gain an understanding of how a human
would fit or interact with a proposed design will be included in all
Pro/ENGINEER packages at no additional charge for those customers on the
latest maintenance release of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0.

“The new capabilities introduced in
Pro/ENGINEER Manikin will dramatically improve our ability to design
innovative products for our customers. These same features are also
applicable to considerations for improvements in the manufacture,
assembly and service of our products. The vision cones, reach envelopes
and other human factors analysis capabilities provide valuable insight
earlier in the product design and development process,”
states Patrick Hodgins, chief engineer, Callaway Cars. “The
seamless integration with Pro/ENGINEER and ease of use will also help
accelerate adoption of the product. These new modules will enable our
company to reduce time-to-market and decrease physical prototyping costs.”

“Having the capability to perform
human-product interactions early in the development cycle supports
innovation and helps optimize the design process,”
said Michael Campbell, senior vice president, product management, PTC. “Allowing
design engineers to know how a customer will physically interact with a
product during the design process enables them to design products that
will be optimized for their target audience. This technology enables
customers to create safer, more comfortable and more usable products,
while at the same time reduce the typical, costs associated with
prototyping. Pro/ENGINEER Manikin underscores PTC’s
ongoing commitment to delivering superior technology and value to our
customers.”